Because of their warm, erogenous-animalic and long-lasting odor, musk odorants number among the compounds which are most used in perfumery. The poor biological degradability, a certain phototoxicity, as well as the suspected neurotoxicity of benzoid musk odorants, has led in recent times to the increased use of macrocyclic compounds, which are derived from naturally occurring musk substances and which are quite safe from an ecological point of view. However, high production costs prevent their use on a large scale.
Macrocycles, which by virtue of their low threshold value could be used in lower concentrations than usual and thereby give rise to lower costs, could provide a solution. Although it is possible to obtain information relating to core structures, and in spite of numerous investigations concerning structure-odor relationships of odorants, such as disclosed in P. Weyerstahl, J. prakt. Chem. 1994, 336, 95; K. J. Rossiter, Chem. Rev. 1996, 96, 3201, a prediction of the intensity or of the threshold value of macrocycles having a musk odor has hitherto been impossible.